


Blame Them Both

by ArchangelRoman, Loner234



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Bromance, Budding bromance, Comforting!Jeremy, Developing Relationship, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Maybe not., Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Vulnerable!Tyler, its complicated, relationships are hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-19 00:27:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29498832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchangelRoman/pseuds/ArchangelRoman, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loner234/pseuds/Loner234
Summary: Tyler and Jeremy are cuddling. Tyler’s the big spoon. Neither of them has shirts. Clothes are out but not strewn about. The window is open, airing out the room. Both of them seem to be enjoying their sleep. Huh.
Relationships: Jeremy Gilbert/Tyler Lockwood
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	Blame Them Both

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Loner234. Thanks for the support on my last post!!
> 
> We need more Jyler! 
> 
> This can either stand alone or is a sequel to Tyler's Not Gay. Your choice!

They had their first 'encounter' after Richard's funeral, but neither could say who started it.

Jeremy had been close at hand to make sure Tyler wouldn’t do anything stupid like he had when his parents died, being both distant and accommodating. Jeremy knew too well the numbness that weighted Tyler. There were a lot of emotions, complications, revelations and, and...

And anyway, Jeremy had made the first decision regarding Tyler’s well-being after the service. Carol was busy and Elena had wanted to take Jeremy back home but he resisted when he saw Tyler sitting alone. Caroline tried to help, bless her, but she got ignored and decided to give him space. Bonnie saw Caroline’s efforts and noted she’d try later. Matt got a short response when he volunteered his company and decided that was enough for the night; he’d try again in the morning.

It was Jeremy who gently manhandled an unresponsive Tyler— _ let the record show that Tyler, of sound body and mind, has proven time and time again that Jeremy Gilbert does not have the physical strength to outmatch him-- _ into the passenger seat of Ty’s car and drove him home. It was Jeremy who unlocked the front door and turned on all the lights; unbothered with food on his way through the kitchen because Tyler didn’t have an appetite and Jeremy’s sympathetically subsided. Then he doubled back to grab two sprites because Elena would’ve said, ‘ _he has to eat, Jer_ ’ and Jeremy couldn’t cook anyway.

After, Jeremy found Tyler in his father’s office space standing numbly just inside the door of the office, lights still off. Jeremy watched Tyler come to some type of decision as he maneuvered what must have been practiced moves to open Richard’s desk and find the key to the liquor cabinet.

It was Tyler who grabbed a bottle of something brown from the middle shelf, though his hand did twitch higher for a moment. It was Tyler who went to the den and grabbed two glasses. It was Tyler who turned on the television, gaming console, and left the lights off. It was Tyler who invited Jeremy over to the couch for a drink and handed him a controller when he sat down.

They drank, no toast. They played games and drank their sodas with Jeremy running occasional intermissions for refreshments. Each time he returned he and Tyler were a little closer on the couch crossing some invisible lines. If no one knew better, they were just two average boys being average boys.

It was Tyler who decided to spice up the game. It was Tyler who decided that every in-game death meant a straight shot, no chaser. Tyler had a competitive spirit his whole life so Jeremy agreed easily because it was familiar ground. The next minute Tyler died and Jeremy snickered at the karma. Not wanting the same penalty, Jer doubled his efforts to slay this monster and that one. 

Tyler died again. 

"Dude, get your head in the game," Jeremy laughed as Ty silently took his penalty.

That comment cost him and Jeremy sighed as he drank his shot, head starting to swim. Despite the rules, he chased it with a gulp of sprite. Tyler didn’t comment. They played a little longer and Jeremy got a sinking feeling in his gut. Instead of calling attention to it, Jeremy made it his new mission to protect Tyler.

By the fourth shot Jeremy was pretty sure they were playing an entirely different game. Tyler did his best to act like he was contributing to the cause and Jer did his best to pretend he didn’t notice Tyler pretending; the new rules.

Unspoken, they carried on like this. Tyler would stand in front of a monster, hit it a couple times, and wait to be killed. Jeremy would come over, kill the monster and heal Tyler. If successful, they would carry on. If not, they both died and they both drank. Believe it or not, Jeremy had slowed Tyler’s progress—or lack thereof just a bit and couldn’t help feel a little happy about it.

"Dude, just stop," Tyler eventually said.  


"Make me," Jeremy easily replied.

Carol flipped on the light.

Jeremy and Tyler were dangerously close, too intoxicated move apart like Tyler would have if he’d been sober. Though they had only finished perhaps a little over a third of the bottle.

Carol surveyed the cans of soda, the atmosphere of the room and eventually her eyes landed on the bottle. Normally, as a responsible adult and wife she would berate them. Then she would take the bottle and lecture them. After, she would call Jenna to set up a grounding that’d last the rest of the year! 

However, a tired adult and recent widow entered the room to ascertain the damages and found a grieving son and what appeared to be a good friend— close friend, she noted. Quietly, she took the bottle from the table. Tyler stood to say something but she stopped him with a look and gave him a meaningful hug that had Jeremy fighting tears. 

“Get some sleep. Both of you.” she told them; eyes misty.

Tyler cleared his throat after his mom left. He rubbed his face because he was tired, that was all. 

Silence. Breathing. Looks. Meanings. Thinking. Please. Questions. Decisions. 

It was Tyler who waited until Jeremy was near to turn off the light. 

It was Jeremy who walked Tyler up the stairs to his room, one hand on the railing and the other on Ty’s lower back-- for _support_ , he told himself.

However, the entire time Jeremy couldn’t help but think that it had been the most nonviolent contact he’d ever had with the other boy. Tyler just didn’t want to feel and Jeremy was more than willing to be the distraction. 

Tyler made it to his room with Jeremy in tow and stopped just inside the door.

Jeremy stopped behind him. He wasn’t the most familiar with Tyler’s room, but everything is organized in a way Jer didn’t know Tyler could be. They both surveyed the room for a moment. Jeremy assessed. Tyler relived a memory. 

“Get ready for bed, yeah?” Jeremy suggested as he walked about the room turning on the lights, opening the window to breathe a sense of life into the dark room.

By the time he’s done, Tyler still hadn’t moved.

"Dude,” Jeremy breathed. He walked over and stopped short. There was so much to say. So much to mess up. There were Jeremy’s own feelings about Tyler and Tyler’s feelings about his current situation. There was no ‘right’ thing to say or do from here. Even if he told Tyler that, it would make no difference. The only way to get through it would be to go through it, Jeremy thought, and he’d handle the rest.

Tyler didn’t flinch away when Jeremy reached forward to start undoing the buttons on his jacket, but his eyes followed the path Jeremy’s clumsy fingers made. It was almost chuckle-worthy, the way Jeremy mutters under his breath about buttons and complications. Almost.

It was just as Jeremy had reached the final button on Tyler’s suit jacket and stood in front of him, assessing how best to move forward, that Tyler finally seemed to wake up. Somewhere after leaning in to get Ty’s suit jacket off, fingers smoothly brushing over toned shoulders, down toned arms and—focus, Jeremy missed something. Ty blinked and surveyed his surroundings as if unsure how he got there before his eyes landed on Jeremy. Their eyes locked, and the air grew thick with emotions. Trying to find answers in Tyler’s eyes was like looking for a specific angle of sunshine on a partly cloudy day.

Jeremy saw the shades of regret in Tyler’s eyes as the older boy maps the places on Jeremy’s face and body where he had inflicted bruises or drew blood. There was a sliver of something that looked like _I’m sorry, please forgive me?_ Jeremy was not sure he’d translated correctly but at his minute nod, Tyler looked down. Jeremy stopped breathing because for what feels like the first time, Tyler isn’t just looking at him, but he’s _**looking**_. Jeremy is being _**seen.**_ He doesn’t know what to do under the scrutiny; doesn’t know if he’ll measure up to whatever Tyler’s looking for.

When Tyler finally looked, his eyes weren’t cloudy anymore. The warmth was present but Jeremy was positively sure that the chill he got was not from the breeze through the opened window. There’s hurt and pain, but also determination and strength. There is the battle of wills; Richard's vs. Tyler's, the remembrances of the past and the reminder that nothing lasts forever. A breeze of something like hope. There’s loss and so much vulnerability that Jeremy didn’t even know Tyler was capable of with a role model like Richard, must be Carol’s influence.

The idea of Mrs. Lockwood coming up and finding them like this spurred Jeremy to close the door, to protect this version of Tyler where he failed earlier. Breaking away from that moment felt like a mistake though the result left him alone with Tyler in Tyler’s room with the door closed. If it were any other night... Focus! Jeremy took a deep breath before he turned around thinking that things would be back to normal but Tyler was still looking at him strangely lost.

“Ty?” Jeremy called lowly, afraid to spook him. 

Tyler did not make eye contact when he twitched a brow in response. _Hm?_

Silence. Emotions. Question. 

“Do you want me to go?” Jeremy asked, voice still low. 

Tyler started to answer and then stopped. He looked up to Jeremy, locking eyes for a moment and then his breathing spiked and he looked confused; like he might actually, finally shed a tear. 

Jeremy panicked. Tears weren’t new to Jeremy but if there were even a chance Tyler might remember that Jeremy saw him crying... So, he rushed over, gripped his shoulders and kneaded the firm muscle under his hands until Tyler’s breathing evened out. “Okay, okay... Uh, I’ll sleep over. That’s cool, right?” 

Tyler breathed easier, if a bit shaky, and gave a jerky nod. His fingers grasped at air at his sides as if to reach out, but his eyes were uncertain as he looked past Jeremy to the door, like Jeremy might still leave because the door was unlocked.

Jeremy gave a decisive nod and started unbuttoning his own jacket as a show of solidarity. Tie gets undone and the jacket comes off. He didn’t think too hard about the quiet breath of relief almost muffled by the ruffling of fabric as Tyler also got ready for bed. Jeremy was going to ask for blankets to make up a pallet on the floor, but his breathe fell short as he watched. 

Tyler moved tiredly, as if his jacket had weighed a ton and the buttons of his dress shirt were miles long. By the time he got to the final button on the shirt and pulled it loose, he looked about ready to call it quits with the dress shirt halfway down his arms and back, but Jeremy helped. 

If it were another night, he’d let his imagination get lost in Tyler’s passive presence. If it were another night, Jeremy might more thoroughly appreciate the way the clothes wrap around muscle. If it were _any_ other night, Jeremy might’ve made a playful comment about how the moment felt... domestic. The vulnerability being displayed isn’t something everyone gets to witness, Jer knew.

Without being told and probably crossing some more invisible barriers, Jeremy removed the buttons of Tyler’s long sleeve one wrist at a time. Pulled the shirt off of Tyler and set it aside before he reached for the belt buckle. Pause. Jeremy didn’t know what he’d find in Tyler’s eyes or what he’d show from his own if he looked up, so he didn’t. Power through. He pulled the belt through the loops and tossed it onto the shirt. Then, he popped the button on Tyler’s pants and lowered himself to his knees.

Focused on removing Tyler’s shoes, Jeremy didn’t see the  **something** in Tyler’s eyes. Yet, Jeremy felt some type of way over how content he felt to be on his knees in front of Tyler. Then cursed himself for letting his thoughts wander. He was supposed to just be there for Tyler, but he can’t help but think of the reasons behind why he was doing what he was doing: a big ole moon-sized lifelong crush.

Tyler lifted one leg as instructed, then the next. The shoes skid to the side and Jeremy still didn’t look above Tyler’s waist as he pulled the pants down and then stopped in part because he realized the position wouldn’t work and also, woah! It should have been weird. He just undressed Tyler!

 _ **Tyler** **Lockwood!**_

Tyler Lockwood, who is a friend. A cute friend—a friend in _pain,_ he amends. There should be nothing arousing about the situation and Jeremy _wasn’t_ turned on, but in a different light he imagines the proximity he’s shared with Tyler would be. Could have been? 

Nervous at the undeniable intimate act, Jeremy cracked a weak smile and said, “You should shower.” Then his cheeks burn because he didn't mean it like... together!

Ty nodded; however, he made no move to go. He just kept watching Jeremy on his knees. They locked eyes again and Tyler had a question in his eyes but Jeremy wasn’t sure how to answer or even exactly what was being asked. The elongated moment of heavy eye contact that said so much but explained nothing at all took the final toll because Tyler sat heavily on the bed, that almost-display of emotions sapping away at whatever reserves that kept him going. 

Ever helpful, Jeremy removed Tyler’s pants and pulled the rest of the garments from the floor and stood to fold them neatly over a chair. Then he moved to the restroom to grab the trashcan and... was that a clean glass for Tyler drink from in the mornings? Ah to be well-to-do, Jer thought as he filled it with tap water and downed it in one go. Jeremy then grabbed the Tylenol he found in the mirror, filled the glass again, and made his way back to the side of the bed with his bounty.

Tyler had laid there, spinning. The sounds coming from his bathroom were both alien and familiar. Girls he used to sneak in would be in his bathroom about this time doing those things under a similar night. The only difference was that his father wasn’t here to distract his mom from finding out. One of the few decent things Richard did as a father, if it counted. When Jeremy came back, Tyler tried to communicate that thought with his eyes but was distracted by the blankets suddenly being pulled from under him, then being forcibly sat up and a cup of water thrust into his hand. 

“Drink,” Jeremy gently commanded and waited while Tyler complied. Whoa. Tyler did it. “Open up,” he tried and Tyler looked confused but didn’t hesitate to do so. Any other night... Fuck! Focus! The Tylenol is set on Tyler’s tongue and Jeremy couldn’t help the way his voice sounded all breathy when he commands one final time, “Drink it. All of it.” 

Tyler did drink the water, all the water. Tipped his head back and let the droplets land on his tongue because he didn’t realize how thirsty he was. The water landed heavily in his gut and he frowned at Jeremy because of the sick feeling in his stomach. He burped and felt better, but now that he had sat up again... 

Rather than bring up something that Tyler couldn’t deal with, Jeremy just killed all the lights before he climbed into bed on the left side as if he’d done it a thousand times. Tyler watched him but didn’t say anything so Jeremy prompted him to pass the remote. The T.V. turned on and Jeremy made a show of getting comfortable with one arm resting behind his head. He stayed that way until most of the tension eased from Tyler’s body.

A couple of minutes later, Tyler tossed and turned until he and Jeremy were almost shoulder to shoulder and he went still, but didn’t relax. 

Though they appeared at ease, both of them were still running an undercurrent of tension; Jeremy thought it was a fucked up joke and Tyler didn't want to get laughed at.

Jeremy took a deep breath and found further comfort by casually folding the leg closest to Tyler, so that his knee brushed Tyler’s thigh just barely. A moment after, Jeremy felt an arm snake hesitantly around his waist and did his best not to react one way or the other, just flipped another channel as his blood sped up. It was a little awkward because one arm was pinned by Tyler’s and the idea of moving made even breathing feel like too much. 

The quiet tension in the room seemed somehow louder than the T.V. but eventually Tyler started to slacken, his breathing finally evened out and his eyes dropped closed. 

Jeremy, too, finally relaxed. With Tyler’s eyes closed he didn’t need to pretend or avert his gaze. Now he let himself look freely. They were both in similar stages of undress and thanks to Jeremy they were both under the covers. Jeremy wanted to look. Fuck, he wanted to touch. The idea of it was made evident in the way the covers started to tent a bit on his side. Deep breaths. Changes were in the air and it felt overwhelming but also good.

Great, actually, because Jeremy was with Tyler.

In the morning he’d be with Tyler.

God willing, he’d continue to be with Tyler. 

*

In the late morning the doorbell rings.

Carol opens the door with practiced grace though a bit less flair than usual.

“Good morning, Mrs. Lockwood.”

“Matthew? What are  you...? I—come in, come in.”

Matt walks in and follows Carol to the kitchen. It feels weird. There is a profound absence in the house that Matt isn’t sure how to feel about. Normally Richard would be there shortly to see who was at the door and by the way she glances back on reflex, Mrs. Lockwood thinks the same. So, he does the polite thing and feels like shit about it when he asks how she’s feeling.

“I’m fine, Matthew, thank you.” Carol breathes evenly, gripping the shawl over her shoulders to fix them. “Are you here to collect Jeremy?”

“I came to check on Tyler. Wait, Jeremy’s still here?”

“Should be up in Tyler’s room,” she says over a cup of coffee, watching Matt’s reaction. There’s no missing the surprise in Matt’s eyes. She waits for whatever he isn’t saying. Prompts, “Is everything alright?”

Matt looks like he’s trying to solve a puzzle but knows he’ll be a few pieces short when he says, “Yeah, Elena said he should have come home first thing. Must still be sleeping. Do you mind?” he asks, gesturing towards the direction of the boys.

“If you’d please.”

Matt makes it up the stairs to Tyler’s room and stops. His eyes drift towards Tyler’s parents' room and he pauses, half expecting Richard even though... Shakes his head and knocks softly. “Jer? Ty?”

No answer. Matt checks the door and finds it unlocked so he goes in, “Hey, guys--”

Tyler and Jeremy are cuddling. Tyler’s the big spoon. Neither of them has shirts. Clothes are out but not strewn about. The window is open, airing out the room. Both of them seem to be enjoying their sleep. Huh.

Back downstairs Matt passes through the kitchen on his way out.

“Still sleeping?” Carol asks.

The tone she uses gives Matt pause and he looks to her. She knows. She saw. Judges her reaction to seeing what he just saw and they silently come to an agreement; this will stay between them. “Out like a light,” he smiles. “I’ll try again later. Um. Have a good day, Mrs. Lockwood.”

“You too, Matt.”

**Author's Note:**

> It is a little tricky writing what I feel to be 'authentic' Jeremy and Tyler. I did my best. Oh, and isn't Matt just an awesome, awesome friend?!
> 
> Comments are always inspiring!  
> Kudos are always appreciated!


End file.
